Bullpen critical to UF's regular-season success

GAINESVILLE – Florida entered the season as the No. 1 team in the country thanks largely to the merits of a weekend pitching rotation that had helped it to a runner-up finish in the College World Series last season.

With the trio of Hudson Randall, Brian Johnson and Karsten Whitson returning after going 27-7 last season, the strength of the team was supposed to remain on the mound. To some degree it has – in the bullpen.

Heading into the SEC Tournament this week, all three starters are healthy after a season that has demonstrated the value of Florida's depth behind Randall, Johnson and Whitson. The third-seeded Gators (40-16) face No. 10 Auburn at Region's Park in Hoover, Ala. on Tuesday (5:30 p.m., CSS) knowing just how much their relief pitchers have gotten them to this point.

"They've kind of held things together for us," said coach Kevin O'Sullivan.

Florida dealt with the absence of all three weekend starters throughout the season. Randall missed three weeks with a tired arm. Whitson missed six with an arm injury of his own, and Johnson was out earlier this month with a hamstring problem.

In their absence, sophomore righty Jonathon Crawford has developed into a reliable starter. Junior Steven Rodriguez has a team-high 74 strikeouts in 54 innings with a team-high 29 appearances.

Senior Greg Larson is 6-0 with a 1.47 ERA with 28 appearances this season. And junior Austin Maddox is one save away from tying the UF single-season record. He is 12-for-12 in save opportunities with 54 strikeouts and eight walks in 49 1/3 innings.

"We've kind of used them a little unconventionally in the sense that we've stretched Maddox and (Rodriguez) out. If we've got a lead after six, they come in and throw," said O'Sullivan. "(The starters) haven't felt like they've had to go seven or eight innings every time out.

"I think Crawford has kind of been another key and stepped in a lot of different roles, done a really nice job for us."

Crawford (4-2, 3.67 ERA) will get the start Tuesday vs. the Tigers. While O'Sullivan would like his team to successfully defend the tournament title it won a year ago, he hopes the Gators will be in the tournament long enough to get through the whole rotation.